Asia/Indonesia – Priests born to Muslim mothers: Interfaith families, Indonesian figures
Paolo Affatato
JAKARTA (FIDES NEWS) – While reflecting on the celebration of his episcopal ordination, Bishop Cyprianus Format of Ruteng on the Indonesian island of Flores mentioned, almost in passing, the widespread and enthusiastic attendance of his “Muslim relatives”. This speaks volumes that “interfaith” families represent a widespread and very real reality in Indonesian society – a reality where in everyday life one can experience a welcoming attitude towards the spiritual experiences of others, whatever they may be, even when it comes to children who can choose a faith different from their own family. “This also applies to respecting and not hindering vocations to the priesthood and clergy, which are still considered a gift for parents and families who profess Islam or other faiths,” the Bishop of Ruteng said. “Family ties take priority and, at the spiritual level, deep respect is shown for the faith of all relatives, with the awareness that harmony is a precious gift that must be preserved,” he noted.
A typical example concerns priests born to couples where one or both parents are not Catholic. The life stories of four Indonesian priests from interfaith families “show that differences are not barriers, that spiritual life is always an asset, and that family ties are a gift from God and are solid. The cassock and the veil are not obstacles to harmony but signs of brotherhood,” the bishop noted, citing the stories of Fathers Robertus Bellarmine Asiyanto and Agustin Holoura from Flores, Father Dom Mayors Jeffrigus Goba from Sumba, and Indonesian priest Eddy Prasetyo of the Dehoniano (Sacred Heart of Jesus) who was ordained to the priesthood along with other religious colleagues in neighboring Malaysia.
The story of Robertus Bellarminas Asiyanto began in 2015 on the Indonesian island of Flores in the East Nusa Tenggara province, when he was ordained a priest at the St. Paul Redarello Seminary in Maumere at the age of 31.
In the Southeast Asian archipelago known as the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, where 85% of its more than 275 million inhabitants are Muslim, Flores is considered the “Catholic heartland of Indonesia” because it is an exception among the 17,000 islands. Flores is a majority Catholic island, with 80% of its roughly 4 million inhabitants being Catholic. Flores is an island where large and small seminaries are overflowing with young people and where vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life are universally recognized. Even Pope Francis, in an impromptu homily for the 2022 Day of Consecrated Life Mass, said that in the face of a vocation crisis, “you can go to the Indonesian island (i.e. Flores, editor's note) and find your vocation.”
Asiyanto's mother, Siti Asiya, who is Muslim, gave her son her blessing and support. At the ordination ceremony, he wore Islamic clothing, including a hijab, and was next to him in the procession with other parents. The woman placed her hand on her son's head and said she was truly happy that her son had been ordained a Catholic priest. All present that day applauded his actions and the emotional public statement he made while attending the ordination ceremony. Asiyanto had been a Catholic since childhood, with the consent of his parents. With a strong desire to pursue a priestly vocation, he went to the Belvite Missionary Seminary to seek his mother's blessing. She told him to “follow his heart.” A mother who raised her son with “the greatest gift in her heart, which is the freedom to become a priest,” Father Roberto said today.
Father Agustin Holoura, a 30-year-old Indonesian priest and missionary, also belongs to the Congregation of the Word of God and is now a parish priest in Brazil. His vocation also began in Flores, where he grew up in the seminary of Father Verbite in the Diocese of Maumere (one of the five parishes in Flores). As a boy, he felt the desire to “belong completely to God”. He communicated it to his Catholic father and Muslim mother. And his mother supported his desire to attend a Catholic parish from an early age, participate in catechesis, and follow the preparations for First Communion and Confirmation. So he did not hesitate to agree with the rector to enter the seminary. Agustin wanted to be a priest.
After a journey in which his parents always supported him, on the day of his ordination, Agustin's family, his Catholic uncles and aunts, his grandparents, other relatives and his Muslim friends came together to share the joy of a life choice that is considered a precious gift for anyone, whether Christian or Muslim. “In Indonesia, having a family that professes different faiths is accepted very naturally, without prejudice or problems,” the parish priest said today, thanking “my father, my mother, my whole family, Catholic and Muslim, for their support that strengthened my journey.” Today, he feels “when I recall my ordination, I feel an immense joy to see my family united and all my Muslim relatives who wanted to join me and rejoice in churches and feasts.”
And on the island of Sumba, one of the Lesser Sunda Islands, Father Frederiks Mayors Jeffrigas Goba reported on “the atmosphere of spiritual communion he shared with his Muslim relatives when he was ordained a priest at the Waitabula Cathedral.” He said that strong personal and spiritual ties continue to exist and have only strengthened over the years.
Father Eddy Prasetyo, a Catholic priest from the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Dehonaini), movingly recalled an embrace with his grandmother, a devout Muslim, who attended his ordination Mass in Malaysia in 2019 with other compatriots, saying: “All of my parents' relatives and extended family, both Christian and Muslim, attended that and many other ceremonies, much to everyone's delight.”
Mixed Muslim and Christian families are scattered throughout Indonesia. In Sumatra, where the socio-religious situation is very different from Flores and Christians are a minority, the story of twin sisters on different paths has attracted attention and is an example of coexistence and deep love. One of the sisters is a devout Muslim who follows the practices of her faith and participates in the Hajj. The other sister, Tarsisiana M., is Catholic and has joined the Sisters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Merauke, Indonesian Papua, where she works in an orphanage. They love each other dearly and have a good relationship within their family. Their family continues to be a welcoming place where they can return to live their love for each other while deeply respecting their different faiths.
There is also an enlightening example in Java. Mr. Budi and his wife Rosa (Editor's note: pseudonym for privacy reasons) live in Cibinong, West Java. The husband works daily at the family business selling chickens in markets and restaurants. The husband and wife are Confucian. The couple have three children. Their eldest daughter, Cakra, is 35 and married to Lena, also 35. They have two children and profess Christianity. Budi and Rosa's second daughter, Christine (33), is married to Karam and they have one son and profess Muslimity. Their third daughter, Tara (30), is married to Rudy and they have one son and are Catholic.
Budi and Rosa calmly accept their children's different faiths. When celebrating religious holidays, extended families gather to celebrate and celebrate together. Religious differences do not hinder harmonious family ties. This is what they taught their children Rosa and Budi. This spirit lives on in their large interfaith family.
(Fidesz News Agency, August 28, 2024)
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